Friday, 21 September 2012

Cash not acceptable

Our friend Richard is up from Brixham for a few days.

Cruising around Temple island at Henley.

I've written about this bloke's greed before. And he didn't dissapoint today. We'd moored up on the meadow just above Temple island, and enjoyed a nice lunch. A couple of hours later, we saw him steaming towards us for his money. I've been saving up my 1, 2 and 5 pence pieces just for such a situation. The conversation that ensued...

him: Mooring fees, please.
me: sure. (hands over carrier bag full of change).
him: What's this?!
me: It's £8
him: I can't possibly take it in that denomination.
me: eh? It's legal tender, coin of the realm. What's up with it?
him: It's too heavy. You will have to move on.
me: But that's ridiculous!
him: Moor up on the park, where it is free.

We know nowhere in Henley is free. Nice try at stitching us up. But we are not idiots. On another day, we'd have dug our heels in. We were offering to pay, in cash. But we were having too nice a day to put up with his pettyness, and we shoved off. So, if you want a free mooring in Henley, pay him in 1, 2, and 5p pieces. It's too heavy, apparently.

Thanks for that, Brian. I offered him a mixed bag of 10, 5, 2 & 1's. According to the webpage, the coppers can only account for 40 pence of the mooring fees? But there was a substantial chunk of silver in there too. He obviously wanted a note, and shoo'ed us off when he didn't get it.

I think, true to form, he was just determined to be an asshole. My friends have suggested that next time (and I hope there is not a next time) that I should offer to pay him by cheque. Or just cast off, and drop our anchor 3 feet from the shore.

I have seen him charging the full rate to old duffers just out for an hours picnic. When I broke down, and had to tie up in the bushes, he would have jumped on me then, too.